Axle journal coupling for locomotives



Aug. 12, 1958 J. P. RUTH AXLE JOURNAL COUPLING FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed March 16, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 4 BY JOSEPH P RUTH ATTORNEY Fig 4 g- 958 J. P. RUTH 2,846,955

AXLE JOURNAL COUPLING FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed March 16, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,23 22 Fig. 7 I8 u 20 2o 9 I7 I7 INVENTOR. JOSEPH P. RUTH ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,846,955 AXLE JOURNAL COUPLING FOR LOCOMOTIVES Joseph P. Ruth, Denver, Colo. Application March '16, 1953, Serial No. 342,487 7 Claims. (Cl. 105-218 This invention relates to locomotives of a type commonly utilized for underground haulage and characterized by spring-mounted axle journal housings vertically reciprocable in guided relation with a rigid frame, and has as an object to provide a coupling interengaging separ te such axle journal housings for enhancement of locomotive operative efiiciency.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for minimizing undesirable and efficiency-lowering vibrations, chatterings, and drive slippage in locomotives of certain types.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved axle journal coupling for locomotives of certain types, whereby to accommodate separate vertical play of the coupled journals and to inhibit variations in the spacing between and in the relative angular positions of said journals.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a locomotive unit of the type with which the instant improvement is adapted to function with particular advantage.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, sectional plan, on a relatively enlargedyscale, ta'ken substantially on the indicated line 2-2 of Figure 1. a v

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, detail section taken on a vertical plane through and substantially on the indicated line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is 'a fragmentary, detail section, on a further enlarged scale, taken substantially on the indicated line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross section taken substantially on the indicated line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a cross section taken substantially on the indicated line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary, detail section taken substantially on the indicated line 7-7 of Figure 3.

Locomotive units of the general type represented by Figure 1 are extensively in use for haulage purposes in a self-powered assembly, such units being characterized by a rigid, box-like frame 10 traversed by spaced, parallel axles 11 engaged at their ends with drive wheels 12 at the opposite outer sides of the frame 10. The wheels 12 at each side of the frame are coupled by side rods 13 in a usual manner and links 14 transmit power to the side rods 13 through appropriate mechanical agencies. The axles 11 are operatively related with the frame 10 by means of tubular journal housings 15 which independently span between the side members of the frame 10 and terminate in end plates 16 bridging laterally of and slidably engaging at their vertical side margins with the spacedly parallel edges 17 of vertically-elongated openings intersecting the side members of said frame 10, thus to dispose the axles 11 for limited reciprocation vertically of the frame in a manner effective to apply the "ice tractive force of the wheels 12 to accomplish translation of the frame. Rigidly associated with and underlying each axle journal housing 15, a rectangular member 18 mounts upwardly-opening cups 19 adjacent its corners, and expansive coil springs 20 upstand from seated engagement of their lower ends within said cups 19 to reception of their upper ends in complementary, inverted cups 21 fixed to the frame side members adjacent upper ends of the opening edges 17, thus to impose the weight of the frame 10 and its associated elements on the axle journal housings 15 through the springs 20 and members 18, all in a known and widely-utilized manner.

The construction and organization of elements thus'far described is in and of itself no part of the instant invention, and is illustrated and described only to typify a construction and arrangement of elements with which the improvement is adapted to be used for the correction of known deficiencies peculiar to such construction and arrangement.

In the actual operation of locomotive units axle-mounted and spring-supported as shown and described, it has been found that the clearance necessary between margins of the end plates 16 and the associated opening edges 17 gives occasion for much chattering and vibration of the end plates relative to and as they move slidably along the associated guide openings, and that such chattering and vibration, particularly evident when the locomotive is starting heavy loads, is registered as a loss of tractive effort, undesirable wear, and slippage of the drivers, hence the instant invention is directed to a coupling effective when in place to very largely obviate the undesirable reactions iust mentioned.

As is clearly shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7; the coupling effective to realize the purposes of the invention is a straight, rigid beam 22, expediently a metallic" channel, in a length adequate to span longitudinally of the frame 10 between and fully across the under faces of the members 18 associated with the journal housings 15 of the paired, parallel, spacedly-adjacent axles 11, which beam is disposed and rigidly secured, as by means of bolts 23 engaged through the beam web and areas of the members 18 overlying the same, centrally and longitudinally of the frame 10 solidly against and centrally. across the under faces of said members. Interconnected by the beam 22 as shown and described, the members 18 and their rigidly-associated journal housings 15 are yoked in a rigid unit characterized by a plane common to the beam web upper faceand the member 18 underfaces which parallels the plane of the axle 11 axes, flrus inhibiting any rocking of either journal housing 15 on its associated axle and consequently maintaining the journal housing end plates 16 in proper operating relation with their respective slideways for the elimination of chattering and binding developed between the vertical edges of said end plates and the opening edges 17. Further, the beam 22 functions to determine and preserve an operatively correct spacing between the axles 11, to fix and maintain an axle 11 disposition perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame 10, and to preclude axle deviations productive of wheel slippage and loss of tractive efi'ect, thus more effectively applying the power delivered through the axles 11 to the drive wheels 12. With the beam 22 installed as set forth, either wheel 12, axle 11, journal housing 15, and member 18 may reciprocate vertically relative to the frame 10 and against the pressure of the associated springs 20 without impairing the tractive efiiciency of the corresponding assembly at the other end of the beam, and any occasion for minor elevation of one end of an axle 11 relative to its other end is adequately and practically accommodated by the known and available torque reactions of the beam length between the adjacent points of beam attachment to the separate members 18.'

The use of the bolts 23 for connecting the beam 22 to and: in desiredr'elation with the members 18 is facilitative of traetive' unit disassembly for purposes of-maintenance, repair and-replacement of elements, and is preferred for suchreason, but it is manifest that any means appropriate to accomplish equivalent interconnection of the beam and members is within the scope and contemplation of the invention.

Since it-is obvious that the invention is susceptible of application to and use with locomotives of diverse particular construction, and that changes, variations, and modifications in the'form, construction, and arrangement of the elements-shown and described may be had without departing :from the spirit of the invention, I wish to be'understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

1. Ina locomotive, in combination, a rigid frame, a pair of wheeled, spacedly-parallel axles laterally of said frame, journal housings rotatably mounting said axles and spanning across the frame in vertically-slidable engagement of their ends with elements of said frame, springs resiliently supporting said frame from said housings, and a beam rigidly intercoupling said housings longitudinally of the frame.

2. In a locomotive, the combination with a rigid frame, a pair of wheeled, spacedly-parallel axles laterally of said frame, journal housings rotatably mounting said axles and spanning across the frame in vertically-slidable engagement of their ends with elements of said frame, and

springs resiliently supporting said frame from said hens-- ings, of a beam rigidly intercoupling midportions of said housings longitudinally of the frame.

3. In combination with a locomotive having a rigid frame, a pair of wheeled, spacedly-parallel axles laterally of said frame, journal housings rotatably mounting said axlesfand spanning across the frame in vertically-slidable engagement of their'ends with elements of said frame, and springs resiliently supporting said frame from said housings, of means for maintaining eflicient operative correlation .of said housings and frame, said means comprising a beam rigidly intercoupling midportions of said housingslongitudinally of the frame.

4. In a locomotive, in combination, a rigid frame, a pair of wheeled, spacedly-parallel axles laterally of said frame, journal housings rotatably mounting said axles and spanning across the frame in vertically-slidable engagement of their ends with elements of said frame, a

flat member fixedly underlying each said housing in extension longitudinally of the frame beyond the opposite sides thereof, springs resiliently supporting said frame from said members, and a beam end-fixed to and rigidly bridging between and across said members longitudinally of the frame.

5. In a locomotive, the combination with a rigid frame, a pair of wheeled, spacedly-parallel axles laterally of, said frame, journal housings rotatably mounting said axles and spanning across the frame in vertically-slidable engagement of their ends with elements of said frame, flat members fixedly underlying said housingsin extension longitudinally of the frame beyond the sides of the associated housing, and springs resiliently supporting said frame from said members, of a beam end-fixed to and rigidly bridging between and across midportions of said members longitudinally of the frame.

6. The combination with a locomotive having a rigid frame, a pair of wheeled, spacedly-parallel axles laterally of said frame, journal'housings rotatably mounting said axles and spanning across the frame in verticallyslidable engagement of their ends with elements of said frame, flat members fixedly underlying said housings-in-extension longitudinally of the frame beyond the sides of the associated housing, and springs resiliently supporting said frame from said members, of means'for maintaining efficient operative correlation of said housings and frame, said means comprising a beam rigidly'intercoupling midportions of said members in bridging relation therebetween and end engagement thereacrosslo'ngi tudinally of the frame.

7. In a locomotive of the type described having a frame, paired, spacedly-parallel axle journal housings laterally spanning said frame in slidable engagementat their ends with and for vertical'play :relative to said frame, and flat members fixedly underlying said housings in extension longitudinally-of the frame-beyond thesi des of the associated housings, a beambridging centrallyand longitudinally of the frame under and between the remote outer margins of said members, and means rigidly securing end portions of said beam to'and against the under surfaces of the members thereby traversed,

References Cited in the file of this patent- Great Britain Sept. 29, 1927 

